Concrete formulation comprising polymeric reaction product of sulfur/cyclopentadiene oligomer/dicyclopentadiene

ABSTRACT

A modified sulfur cement formulation, comprising the polymeric reaction product of sulfur with a cyclopentadiene oligomer--dicyclopentadiene containing modifier in which the cyclopentadiene oligomer content of said modifier is at least 37 wt. %.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 085,450 filed Oct. 16, 1979, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,826.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to sulfur containing erials had been proposed as early as just after World War I when an acid resistant mortar compound of 40% sulfur binder mixed in 60% sand was prepared. However, upon thermal cycling such mortars exhibit a loss in flexural strength resulting in failure of the mortars. The use of sulfur as a binder in the preparation of concretes when combined with an aggregate such as crushed rock or gravel has also been investigated. However, after solidification the sulfur in these concretes undergoes allotropic transformation wherein the sulfur reverts to the more dense orthorhombic form which results in a product that is highly stressed and therefore vulnerable to failure by cracking.

One system which has been involved in a number of investigations is the modification of sulfur with unsaturated hydrocarbon materials, primarily dicyclopentadiene. Several articles show a sulfur cement formulated by blending on the order of several percent to about 15% dicyclopentadiene as a binder with sulfur (W. C. McBee and T. A. Sullivan, Sulphur Institute Journal, Fall 1967; Sulphur Research and Development, 1, (1978) pp. 20-21; Sulphur Institute Journal, Spring 1976, pp. (6-8). Leutner et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,352, show a sulfur cement formulation in which on the order of several percent dicyclopentadiene as a binder is blended with sulfur, glass fibers and talc. Heating of the blend at temperatures in the range of 120° C. to 160° achieves the reaction of sulfur with dicyclopentadiene and a hardened compressive strength and flexural strength characteristics of concrete formulations of the sulfur based cement with aggregate such as basalt and granulit. B. K. Bordoloi and E. M. Pearce, New Uses of Sulfur-II, pp. 31-53 (1978) discuss the copolymerization of sulfur and dicyclopentadiene, particularly with respect to the mechanism by which sulfur reacts with dicyclopentadiene to form polymeric polysulfide products. Vroom, U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,500, shows a somewhat different sulfur based cement formulation in that sulfur is blended with a viscosity increasing finely divided stabilizer and an olefinic hydrocarbon polymer material as a binder. The reference, however, appears not to include dicyclopentadiene as a hydrocarbon polymeric material because it describes dicyclopentadiene as a prior art binder having a nauseating odor and being toxic at low concentrations, as well as requiring refluxing when it is reacted with sulfur to avoid excessive material loss. Another important disadvantage of dicyclopentadiene as a modifier is that its reaction with sulfur is exothermic and causes a rapid increase in binder viscosity to unworkable levels. Because of this fact very careful preparation of the modifier is necessary which causes considerable operational difficulties on a commercial scale. Other references which disclose the utilization of dicyclopentadiene as a modifier of sulfur in sulfur cement formulations include Diehl, New Uses For Sulfur and Pyrites, Madrid Symposium of the Sulfur Institute, 1976; McBee et al, Utilization of Secondary Sulfur in Construction Materials, Proceedings of the Fifth Mineral Waste Utilization Symposium, 1976; Sullivan et al, Development and Testing of Superior Sulfur Concretes, 1976 and SandSulfur-Asphalt Paving Materials, 1975 (both Bureau of Mines Reports of Investigations); and Sullivan et al, Sulfur in Coatings and Structural Materials, Advances In Chemistry No. 140. The latter Sullivan et al reference also shows the use of other olefinic compounds such as dipentene, methylcyclopentadiene, styrene and the like as modifiers in sulfur based cement formulations. In view of the problems inherent in the use of dicyclopentadiene as a modifier for sulfur based cement formulations, a need continues to exist for a binder for use with sulfur which will yield modified sulfur cement formulations of improved processing and strength characteristics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a modified sulfur cement which possesses excellent strength and freeze-thaw stability characteristics.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a modified sulfur cement of improved workability.

Briefly, this object and other objects of the present invention as hereinafter will become more readily apparent can be attained by a modified sulfur cement formulation comprising a mixture of sulfur with a cyclo-pentadiene oligomer--dicyclopentadiene containing modifier in which the cyclopentadiene oligomer content of said modifier is at least 37 wt %. A concrete formulation can be prepared by blending an aggregate material with the modified sulfur cement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a graph showing the relative dynamic modulus profile of several sulfur containing concrete materials after repeated freeze-thawing cycles;

FIG. 2 is a graph of the viscosity of several hot melt modified sulfur cement formulations as a function of time; and

FIG. 3 is a series of graphs showing the relative strength of several cast sulfur based cement formulations which have been subjected to sulfuric acid at various strengths over a period of time.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Sulfur cement formulations are known as discussed above based upon the combination of sulfur with dicyclopentadiene as a modifier. In order to produce a hardened cement product the formulation is heated and allowed to set. The improved cement formulation of the present invention is based upon the discovery that the presence of cyclopentadiene oligomer in admixture with dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) modifies the reaction between sulfur and dicyclopentadiene to the extent that a hardened product of significantly improved strength characteristics is obtained. Moreover, when the oligomer content of the dicyclopentadiene reactant is maintained at or above certain minimum levels, the sulfur-DCPD mixture during reaction exhibits very stable viscosity characteristics over extended periods of time thus substantially improving the processing and handling characteristics of the modified sulfur cement formulation during use.

It is well known that the reaction between sulfur and cyclopentadiene dimer to form the modified sulfur component of the cement must be carefully controlled because of the exothermicity of the reaction between sulfur and dicyclopentadiene. Cyclopentadiene is commercially available in the form of the dimer thereof. Liquid cyclopentadiene dimer will spontaneously depolymerize to the monomer at room temperature. This depolymerization reaction will accelerate greatly in the presence of sulfur ##STR1## Because of the exothermicity of reaction (1) it is difficult to control. However, when the dimer is present in the reaction mixture, the dimer reacts with the polysulfide product formed in reaction (1) as shown below in reaction (2). ##STR2##

Reaction (2) between cyclopentadiene dimer and the polysulfide-cyclopentadiene product is significantly less exothermic than reaction (1). However, it is still difficult to control. It is evident from the above discussion, as is well known, that the combined exothermicity of reactions (1) and (2) poses significant control problems, because if control of the reactions is not maintained, extensive apparatus damage will occur and an undesirable, highly viscous rubber-like polymer is formed. On the other hand, when control of the reaction is maintained, as it is in the present invention by the procedure described below, the reaction results in the formation of linear polymeric polysulfides which are the essential components of the durable cement of the present invention.

In the preparation of the polymeric modified sulfur cement of the present invention, the desired control of the above exothermic reactions is achieved by conducting the reaction between sulfur and dicyclopentadiene in the presence of a quantity of cyclopentadiene oligomer sufficient to achieve the desired linear polysulfide polymeric products and sufficient to maintain a workable cement formulation. (In the context of the present invention, the term oligomer is used in its art recognized meaning of being a partially polymerized product of more than two up to a limited number of cyclopentadiene units. More specifically, the term oligomer embraces a product mixture of trimers, tetramers, pentamers and the like of cyclopentadiene in varying amounts. The term oligomer excludes dicyclopentadiene.) In order to obtain a cement product of the strength characteristics within the scope of the present invention, the amount of oligomer present in the organic modifier containing dicyclopentadiene must be a minimum of about 37 wt %, preferably about 45 wt %, and can range up to very high levels as long as the organic material contains a sufficient amount of dicyclopentadiene to initiate the reaction with the sulfur. That is, a sufficient amount of cyclopentadiene monomer derived from the decomposition of dimer should be present to initiate the reaction. Preferably the modifier contains up to 70 wt % oligomeric cyclopentadiene adduct and the reaction can be illustrated as follows: ##STR3## The reaction between the sulfur-cyclopentadiene adduct and the oligomer exhibits very low exothermicity because the oligomer breaks down very slowly to the final state of dicyclopentadiene. This is why the reaction is virtually non-exothermic and why the oligomer is used in the present reaction to moderate the polymerization of sulfur with cyclopentadiene.

The amount of sulfur mixed with the dicyclopentadieneoligomer modifier generally ranges from 99 to 55 wt % sulfur to 1 to 45 wt % modifier, preferably 70-97 wt % sulfur to 3 to 30 wt % modifier. The reaction between sulfur and the modifier is generally conducted without the presence of a solvent, however, if desired such hydrocarbon materials as vinyltoluene, styrene, indene and α-methylstyrene can be used as a solvent.

In the reaction between sulfur and cyclopentadiene virtually any source of cyclopentadiene-oligomer can be used. These sources range from virtually pure cyclopentadiene oligomer mixtures to oligomer sources contaminated with other olefinic materials. Normally, cyclopentadiene oligomer is obtained from the production of dicyclopentadiene resin as steam sparge oils. These oils are the generally undesirable low molecular weight components of the system which are commonly disposed of as a fuel. In the manufacture of dicyclopentadiene resins, generally a crude form of dicyclopentadiene liquid is used as a feedstock for the reaction and is blended with crude vinyl aromatic streams rich in styrene, indene and α-methylstyrene, as well as vinyltoluene with about a 30-40% pure liquid dicyclopentadiene before polymerization. Thus, the actual sulfur containing polymer material obtained in the present invention by the use of such crude oligomer sources besides consisting of low molecular weight polymers of dicyclopentadiene, will also consist of dicyclopentadiene copolymers of vinyl aromatic compounds and some mixed vinyl aromatic polymers. A typical oligomer starting material is one which contains the following constituents: 5% cyclopentadiene, 10% each of dimer and trimer, 20% tetramer, 45% pentamer and 10% traces of higher polymers such as alkyl naphthalenes, vinyl dicyclopentadiene aromatic copolymers. In view of the fact that for most practical applications oligomer materials as well as dicyclopentadiene materials are used which are not purely oligomer and dicyclopentadiene respectively, the content of cyclopentadiene and dimer in the oligomer source used should be known within reasonable limits, as well as the content of any oligomers in the source of dicyclopentadiene used in order to arrive at the correct combination of ingredients to meet the limitations with respect to the minimum amount of oligomer needed in the modifier to formulate a cement mixture within the scope of the present invention.

In the reaction between sulfur and the modifier, whether as a cement or a concrete formulation, the temperature utilized should range from 115° C. to 160° C. over a time period ranging from one to fifteen hours. The reaction between sulfur and modifier can be conducted in any type of conventional reaction vessel although a sealed reactor is preferable, but not essential. The product of the reaction is liquid above about 115° C. and therefore can be handled in liquid form at or about this temperature. The product cement is thermoplastic and solidifies below 115° C. Generally, temperatures above about 180° C. are unnecessary.

The sulfur-modifier cement formulation of the present invention can be employed in a wide variety of applications similar to the uses of Portland and asphaltic cements. For example, the modifier sulfur cement formulation of the invention can be blended with any suitable conventional aggregate to prepare a sulfur based concrete. In order to prepare a concrete product, the aggregate can simply be blended with the sulfur-modifier combination and the mixture is heated at a temperature above that at which the cement becomes liquid. Normally a temperature of 125° C. to 150° C., preferably 130° C. to 150° C. is employed during blending. Suitable modified sulfur concrete formulations can be prepared by blending 7 to 80% by wt. modified sulfur cement formulation with 93% to 20% by wt. aggregate. Suitable aggregates for concrete formulation include particulate granite, quartz, limestone, volcanic material and the like. In the preparation of mortar compositions based on the modified sulfur cement formulation of the present invention, from 40 to 50% by wt. of the sulfur-modifier combination is mixed with from 50% to 60% by wt. of a finely divided aggregate. Suitable common aggregates for mortar preparation include sand, mica, fiberglass, asbestos, silica flour, talc and the like. These same aggregates or fillers can be employed to form sulfur coating materials which can be applied on suitable surfaces by conventional application techniques such as by brushing, spraying, rolling or the re as high as 230° C. The hot aggregate supplies the heat for the melting flake-like, modified sulfur cement component and for heating any filler material added such as silica flour in the concrete mixer, whereby a sulfur concrete product is obtained at a temperature of 125° C. to 160° C. ready for use. Concrete formulations prepared from super-heated aggrregate can be prepared by this technique using the present modified cement component because of the thermostability of the cement. On the other hand, sulfur cements modified with dicyclopentadiene alone cannot be used to prepare concretes by this technique because DCPD cements are not thermostable. Rather, the DCexceeding 160° C.

In the preparation of a modified sulfur concrete by the above-described technique any modified sulfur cement formulation can be used based upon the combination of from about 15 wt %-90 wt. % cyclopentadiene and/or dicyclopentadiene to 85 wt. %-10 wt. % oligomer. Preferably, the modified sulfur cement formulation blended with the aggregate is one which contains at least 37 wt. % oligomer in the modifier component with sufficient cyclopentadiene and/or dicyclopentadiene to initiate the reaction. The ratio of modifier to sulfur in the modified sulfur cement formulation can be as described above.

Two specific embodiments of the above-described general technique for preparing a modified sulfur cement are as follows:

(a) A laboratory sized sulfur concrete unit was designed in which the aggregate can be heated to a desired temperature (150° to 230° C.) in a propane fired heating kiln and the hot aggregate is then discharged into a mortar mixer. Modified sulfur in either liquid or flake form is added and the mixture mixed for two minutes with the hot sulfur concrete mixture (125° to 160° C.) being ready for use. This unit has a capacity of approximately three tons of sulfur concrete per hour.

(b) A large mixer capable of commercial preparation of sulfur concrete was designed and commercially constructed using the same principle of using the super-heated aggregate to mix with the sulfur cement and filler material to prepare the sulfur concrete. This unit has a reciprocating feeder to blend the proper amounts of coarse and fine aggregate and to feed them in a propane fired kiln to a desired temperature (150° to 230° C.). The heated aggregate is then dropped into a pug mill mixer along with flake sulfur and filler where the super-heated aggregate supplies the heat to melt the aggregate and also to heat the filler, and the resultant materials are mixed in the pug mill for a period of about one minute. The sulfur concrete mixture can be discharged from the mixer at a temperature of 125° to 160° C. for use.

The modified sulfur cement formulation of the present invention can be used to prepare compositions suitable for use as spray coatings containing from 80% to 95% by wt. sulfur cement in combination with 5 to 20% by wt. finely divided aggregate.

When any of the above cement formulations are used in a particular application, the formulations rapidly set since the sulfur modified cement component is thermoplastic and solidifies within a few minutes.

Having generally described this invention, a further understanding can be obtained by reference to certain specific examples which are provided herein for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified.

In considering the data in Examples 1-5 it should be borne in mind that the various quantities of dicyclopentadiene and oligomer used in the formulations shown do not represent precise ratios of dicyclopentadiene to oligomer since the amounts of dicyclopentadiene and oligomer used are those of impure commercial grades of dicyclopentadiene and oligomer.

EXAMPLE 1

A series of modified sulfur concrete materials were prepared by employing the amounts of ingredients shown in Table 1 below. Modified sulfur cements were prepared by reacting the amounts of sulfur, oligomer and dicyclopentadiene shown at 130° C. for 24 hours. The modified sulfur cements were then blended with the aggregates shown in the table at 140° C. The physical properties of the resulting cements are also shown in Table 1.

                                      TABLE 1                                      __________________________________________________________________________     PROPERTIES OF MODIFIED SULFUR CONCRETES                                        Test                                                                              Aggregate                                                                              Sulfur.sup.1                                                                       Dicyclopenta-                                                                         Oligomer                                                                            Strength, psi.sup.2                                 No.                                                                               Type(wt.pct)                                                                           wt.pct                                                                             diene wt-pct                                                                          wt-pct                                                                              Compressive                                                                           Tensile                                                                            Flexural                                 __________________________________________________________________________     1  Quartz(77)                                                                             23  2.50   2.50 4,885  630 1,010                                    2  Quartz(77)                                                                             23  3.75   1.25 6,180  715 1,230                                    3  Quartz(77)                                                                             23  3.25   1.75 4,920  685   740                                    4  Limestone(79)                                                                          21  2.50   2.50 6,710  985 1,230                                    5  Limestone(79)                                                                          21  3.75   1.75 8,170  1,020                                                                              1,570                                    6  Limestone(79)                                                                          21  3.25   1.25 7,300  825 1,480                                    __________________________________________________________________________      .sup.1 Sulfur modified by reaction with 5 wtpct of dicyclopentadiene and       oligomer.                                                                      .sup.2 Strength values are the average of 3 samples values.              

Example 2

A series of limestone based, sulfur cements were prepared in the same manner as described in Example 1 above employing the quantities of raw materials shown in Table 2 below. The sulfur concrete materials were employed in a series of freeze-thaw durability tests under prescribed test conditions (ASTM method C 666-73, Procedure A).

                                      TABLE 2                                      __________________________________________________________________________     RESIDUAL STRENGTH AFTER FREEZE-THAW TESTING                                                              Modulus of                                                Sulfur                                                                              Composition, pct                                                                               Rupture, psi                                                                           Residual                                     Samples                                                                             Cements                                                                             (DCPD-Oligomer)                                                                          Limestone                                                                            Initial                                                                            Final                                                                              Strength, pct                                __________________________________________________________________________     7    21.sup.1                                                                            (75-25)   79    1,570                                                                              1,430                                                                              91.0                                         8    21.sup.1                                                                            (65-35)   79    1,480                                                                              785 53.0                                         9    21.sup.1                                                                            (50-50)   79    1,230                                                                              865 70.3                                         10   21.sup.1                                                                            (100-0)   79    1,235                                                                              470 38.0                                         11   24   (0-0)     76      810                                                                              285 35.2                                         __________________________________________________________________________      .sup.1 Sulfur modified by reaction with 5 wt. pct of the indicated amount      of DCPD and Oligomer.                                                    

The results of the tests are shown in FIG. 1, which shows that concrete samples 7 to 9 withstood 300 freeze-thaw cycles (the maximum number of cycles prescribed in the standard test.) while maintaining 90% of the original dynamic modulus values. (The data in Table 2 show the initial and final modulus of rupture values of the various formulations as well as the residual strength values of the formulations.) The available data show that the modified sulfur concretes prepared from the reaction between sulfur and oligmer-dicyclopentadiene exhibit degrees of durability and residual strength superior to the concretes prepared from sulfur cements unmodified with cyclopentadiene based materials or modified only with dicyclopentadiene.

EXAMPLE 3

A modified sulfur cement formulation was prepared by reacting 95 wt. % sulfur with a 5 wt. % mixture of 3.25 wt. % dicyclopentadiene and 1.75 wt. % cyclopentadiene oligomer at 130° C. for 24 hours. An amount of 23 wt. % of the modified sulfur cement was mixed with 77 wt. % of quartz aggregate at 135° C. (275° F.). The freshly prepared concrete was then cast into molds to form the desired concrete slabs. Two of the prepared slabs (slabs 3 and 4 in Table 3 below each 4 ft.×4 ft.×4 in.) having the indicated strength properties are currently being tested in the corrosive floor environments of a potassium muriate plant and a langbeinite plant respectively where their resistance to corrosion characteristics and physical properties are being determined for comparative purposes with other sulfur based and Portland cement based concrete slabs. Two other prepared slabs designated as slab nos. 35 and 36 (2 ft.×2 ft.×21/2 in.) in Table 3 below were installed for test purposes in the corrosive environment of a zinc refinery plant. One slab (#35) was installed in an oxide plant while the other was installed in a sulfide plant. Each slab is being monitored for its resistance to saline and acidic liquors along with other conventional sulfur and Portland cement based slabs. Still further, two other prepared slabs designated as slab nos. 25 and 26 in Table 3 below were installed in a copper refinery along with other types of concrete slabs for corrosive test purposes in highly corrosive areas of the refinery. The initial strength characteristics of all prepared slabs are also shown in Table 3.

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                         SULFUR CONCRETE TEST SLAB DATA                                                              Strength, psi                                                     Slab No.                                                                              Location    Compressive                                                                               Flexural                                                                              Tensile                                   ______________________________________                                         3      Carlsbad    3,190        930  620                                       4      Carlsbad    3,570        980  850                                       35,36  Corpus Christi                                                                             5,030      1,205  730                                       25,26  Amarillo    3,435      1,065  700                                       ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 4

A series of modified sulfur cement based spray coating compositions were formulated from the quantities of ingredients specified in Table 4 below. The various modified sulfur cement formulations were prepared by reacting sulfur and oligomer-dicyclopentadiene mixtures in the quantities described in the footnotes of the table at 130° C. for 24 hours. Samples of the modified sulfur cements were then mixed with fiberglass or mica in the amounts indicted in the table at 140° C. The various formulations were then sprayed upon concrete blocks each 1 ft. square by 1 in. thick to yield coated products wherein the sprayed coatings had the strength properties shown in the table.

                  TABLE 4                                                          ______________________________________                                         MODIFIED SULFUR SPRAY COATINGS                                                 Composition,    Impact      Flexural                                           pct             Strength, in-lb                                                                            Strength, psi                                      ______________________________________                                         Sulfur  Mica                                                                   99.sup.1                                                                               1           1.0         385                                            97.sup.1                                                                               3           1.0         575                                            95.sup.1                                                                               5           1.5         665                                            93.sup.1                                                                               7           3.0         870                                            91.sup.1                                                                               9           3.5         1,085                                          80.sup.2                                                                               20          11.0        2,000                                          80.sup.3                                                                               20          12.0        2,485                                          Sulfur  Fiberglass                                                             99.sup.1                                                                               1           4.0         625                                            98.sup.1                                                                               2           7.0         850                                            97.sup.1                                                                               3           23.0        1,100                                          ______________________________________                                          .sup.1 Sulfur modified by reaction with 1 pct DCPD and 1 pct. oligomer.        .sup.2 Sulfur modified by reaction with 3.25 pct DCPD and 1.75 pct             oligomer                                                                       .sup.3 Sulfur modified by reaction with 2.5 pct DCPD and 2.5 pct oligomer                                                                               

EXAMPLE 5

Flexible sulfur paving materials can be formulated by increasing the modifier in the range of >10% by wt. of the sulfur. As shown in Table 5 below several paving compositions were prepared by reacting 80%, 70% and 60% sulfur with 20%, 30% and 40% of a DCPD oligomer mixture (80% oligomer--20% DCPD) at a temperature of 130° C. for a time ranging from 1 hr. to 24 hrs. A typical conventional asphalt material, i.e. AR 4000 West Coast Asphalt, is also shown for comparative purposes. Highly flexible binder materials with characteristics quite similar to asphalt were formulated with the properties shown in the table below.

                  TABLE 5                                                          ______________________________________                                         PLASTICIZER (pct)                                                                                                AR 4000 West                                 Property   20      30       40    Coast Asphalt                                ______________________________________                                         Viscosity,                                                                     275° (CP)                                                                          330     450      650   225                                          Penetration,                                                                   77° F.                                                                             136     93       66    70                                           Softening                                                                      Point, °F.                                                                         104     110      116   120                                          Specific                                                                       gravity    1.730   1.560    1.469 1.001                                        ______________________________________                                    

By using plasticized binder with graded aggregate, pavement values listed in Table 6 were obtained. The modifier sulfur cement formulations above containing 30% and 40% DCPD-oligomer mixture were blended in amounts of 6% with 94% of quartz aggregate. Limestone and volcanic aggregate function equally as well.

                  TABLE 6                                                          ______________________________________                                         MARSHALL PROPERTIES (ASTM)                                                                 Plasticizer, pct                                                                           Ar 4000                                                            30      40      Asphalt                                            ______________________________________                                         Stability, lb 3,000     2,300   2,100                                          Flow, 0.01 in 10        12      10                                             Specific gravity                                                                             2.321     2.407   2.354                                          Voids, pct    3         3       3                                              Binder, pct   6         6       6                                              Aggregate, pct                                                                               94        94      94                                             ______________________________________                                    

As indicated the material characteristics are quite similar to asphaltic materials and offer the possibility of a total replacement for asphaltic concrete pavements. The materials are also highly corrosion resistant and show great potential as construction materials for use in many corrosive industrial applications. In highway paving applications the materials should be valuable as corrosion resistance bridge decking.

EXAMPLE 6

Table 7 below shows the types of commercial grade oligomer material and dicyclopentadiene used in the preparation of various modified cement formulations within the scope of the present invention.

                  TABLE 7                                                          ______________________________________                                         Material          Grade                                                        ______________________________________                                         DCPD material A   Commercial 80% DCPD                                          DCPD material B   Commercial 77% DCPD                                          DCPD material C   Pure 97% DCPD                                                Oligomer material D                                                                              Commercial Oligomer                                                            (85% Oligomer)                                               Oligomer material E                                                                              Commercial Oligomer                                                            (85% Oligomer)                                               ______________________________________                                    

6-A

A series of modified cement formulations in 500 lb. batches based on the combination of 95 wt. % sulfur with 5 wt. % organic material were prepared from different combinations of DCPD with oligomer as shown below in Table 8 and heated at a temperature of 135° C. for 24 hours. The viscosity of each formulation was measured over this period and the results are shown in FIG. 2.

                  TABLE 8                                                          ______________________________________                                         Relative Amounts of                                                                              Actual Relative Amounts                                      Crude DCPD to Crude                                                                              of DCPD to Oligomer in                                       Oligomer in Modifier                                                                             Each Formulation                                             ______________________________________                                         1. 65% C - 35% D  68.5% DCPD - 31.5% oligomer                                  2. 65% C - 35% E  68.5% DCPD - 31.5% oligomer                                  3. 58% C - 42% E & D                                                                             62% DCPD - 37% oligomer                                      4. 50% C - 50% E  56.0% DCPD - 44% oligomer                                    5. 65% A - 35% D  57.5% DCPD - 42.5% oligomer                                  6. 65% A - 35% E  57.5% DCPD - 42.5% oligomer                                  7. 50% A - 50% D  47.5% DCPD - 52.5% oligomer                                  ______________________________________                                    

The plots in FIG. 2 show that for formulations based on organic material blends 1 and 2 (at low oligomer levels) the reaction between sulfur and organic material was continuously occurring after 8 hours, and the material had to be removed from the reactor to prevent setting up in the reactor. On the other hand, the heated cement formulations based on modifier organic material blends 3-7 gave controlled reactions with a stable product being obtained within about 6 hours after initiation of the reaction.

The different chemical nature of the modified sulfur cement formulations based upon a modifier containing a minimum 37 wt. % oligomer as compared to modified sulfur cements containing insufficient amounts of oligomer or no oligomer at all is substantiated by reference to FIGS. 10a and 10b of the above cited Gregor and Hackl reference. FIG. 10a shows the viscosity of a specific sulfur-DCPD melt at several different temperatures as a function of time. The plots show that at no temperature does the viscosity stabilize indicating a stable hot product for any significant period of time. FIG. 10b shows the viscosity of four different sulfur-DCPD formulations at a reaction temperature of 140° C. The results obtained also show no stable product for any period of time over the reaction period investigated.

6-B

A series of runs using various ratios of DCPD to oligomer in 5 wt. % modifier organic material to 95 wt. % sulfur were conducted in a commercial plant using a nine ton steam jacketed reactor. Five types of modified sulfur formulations were prepared based on the compositions shown in Table 7 in batch runs of four to six hours duration. The product of each batch was solidified, flaked, and bagged in 50 lb. bags. Data on the materials are shown in Table 9.

                  TABLE 9                                                          ______________________________________                                         Relative                                                                       Amounts of Crude                                                                            Actual Relative Amounts                                                                         Pro-   Visco-                                    DCPD to Crude Oli-                                                                          of DCPD to Oligomer                                                                             duct   sity                                      gomer In Modifier                                                                           in Each Formulation                                                                             ton    cp,av                                     ______________________________________                                          7. 65% B-35% E                                                                             55.5% DCPD-44.5% 117    41                                                     oligomer                                                           8. 50% C-50% E                                                                             56% DCPD-44% oligomer                                                                           144    25                                         9. 50% C-50% D                                                                             56% DCPD-44% oligomer                                                                            9     41                                        10. 50% A-50% D                                                                             47.5% DCPD-52.5%  9     28                                                     oligomer                                                          11. 65% A-35% D                                                                             57.5% DCPD-42.5%  27    27                                                     oligomer                                                          ______________________________________                                    

Products prepared in the production runs were easily controlled in the reaction process and results parallel laboratory studies. Addition of the chemical modifiers into the sulfur at 140° C. resulted in an initial temperature drop of 10° to 15° C. In one hour, the temperature had risen again to 140° C. from the steam heat and heat of reaction and was held at this temperature for the rest of the four to six hours reaction period. Tests on the sulfur concrete products produced with these materials have shown that the best results with the greatest workability were obtained with the products based on modifier mixtures 8-10.

6-C

During the production of a seven ton sulfur concrete acid sump using sulfur concrete composed of 81 pct quartz aggregate and 19 pct of the sulfur based 65-35 modifier mixture identified as formulation 1 in Table 8, a total of 26 batches of concrete were prepared in a laboratory batch mixer. During the early production stages in order to increase the heat during casting, batch temperatures of 285° F. were used. Severe thickening of the concrete mixture was encountered and extreme difficulty was experienced in unloading the laboratory mixer. When the mix temperature was dropped below 270° F., good workability was obtained; however, the concrete contained insufficient heat to give adequate working time and the mold resulted in an inferior casting.

Using another concrete formulation based on a sulfur based 50--50 mixture containing at least 44% oligomer, a second casting was produced using concrete mixture temperatures as high as 320° F. without encountering thickening of the concrete mixture. This additional heat from the concrete (50° F.) resulted in a much more workable material and a superior casting. Other properties of the concretes such as physical, mechanical, and chemical are about the same regardless of DCPD-oligomer mixture levels. The primary difference is in the thermal stability of the cement and concrete when formulated at a sufficient minimum oligomer level, highly stable products can be achieved with assurance.

6-D

Corrosion studies were conducted on two modified sulfur concrete formulations and one unmodified formulation immersed in sulfuric acid at four different strengths and a sulfur concrete prepared without a modifier. FIGS. 3a and 3b show tests on concrete samples formed by blending quartz with a modifier sulfur based on a 65-35% blend of commercial DCPD and commercial oligomer and a 50-50% blend of commercial DCPD and commercial oligomer respectively. FIG. 3c shows the results obtained for a concrete product based on an unmodified sulfur concrete. The symbols 1, 2, 3 and 4 represent sulfuric acid solutions at 10%, 20%, 60% and 93%, respectively. The initial strengths of the concrete products were 6,640 psi for the concrete of FIG. 3a, 7,600 psi for the concrete of FIG. 3b, and 6,200 psi for the concrete of FIG. 6c. The acid tests were coducted over a period of 6 months. The results show that sulfur concretes prepared with modified sulfur cements were not attacked by H₂ SO₄ solutions and in general gained in compressive strengths over the test period. Without modified sulfur, some loss of strength was noted in 10 and 20 pct H₂ SO₄ solutions. Also, no visual attack or loss in weight was found on the sulfur concretes prepared with the modified sulfur cements. Similar results were found on immersion of sulfur concrete samples in five pct solutions of NaCl, CaCl₂, KCl, and Na₂ SO₄. No loss of strength or attack on the samples was found.

A hot concentrated brine solution of FeCl₃, NaCl, and HCl was held in a 400 gallon tank cast of modified sulfur concrete at a temperature of 90° C. for a period of 16 months. No attack on the tank was found on circulating the brine solution in the tank over the test period.

Having now fully described the invention, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth herein. 

What is claimed as new and is intended to be secured by Letters Patent is:
 1. A sulfur concrete formulation, comprising:an admixture of (a) at least one concrete aggregate, and (b) the polymeric reaction product of (1) sulfur with (2) a modifier, said modifier being a blend of a cyclopentadiene oligomer mixture and dicyclopentadiene, said oligomer mixture being free from dicyclopentadiene, wherein the cyclopentadiene oligomer mixture is at least 37 weight % of the blend, said polymeric reaction product having a softening point of no more than 116° F.
 2. The formulation of claim 1, wherein the content of said oligomer in said modifier ranges from 37 wt. % to 70 wt. %.
 3. The formulation of claim 1, wherein from 1 to 45 wt. % modifier is combined with 99 to 55 wt. % sulfur.
 4. The formulation of claim 1, wherein from 93 to 20 wt. % aggregate is combined with 7 to 80 wt. % of said modified sulfur cement.
 5. The formulation of claim 1, wherein said aggregate is selected from the group consisting of particulate quartz, granite, limestone and volcanic material.
 6. The formulation of claim 1, wherein said polymeric reaction product component of said concrete formulation solidifies below 115° C.
 7. A sulfur concrete formulation, comprising an admixture of(a) at least one concrete aggregate, and (b) the polymeric reaction product of from (1) 70-97 weight percent sulfur with (2) from 3 to 30 weight percent of a modifier, said modifier being a blend of a cyclopentadiene oligomer and dicyclopentadiene, said oligomer mixture being free from dicyclopentadiene, wherein the cyclopentadiene oligomer mixture is at least 37 weight % of the blend, said polymeric reaction product having a softening point of no more than 110° F. 